Political Science I / Democracy and Polyarchy
Practice question · Put in order

Arrange these regime types from the most closed to the most open on Dahl's two dimensions.

Hints
  1. The two middle cases each score on one dimension only.
  2. Polyarchy is the only one high on both.
Show the answer
  1. Closed hegemony: neither contestation nor inclusiveness
  2. Inclusive hegemony: wide suffrage, no competition
  3. Competitive oligarchy: real competition, tiny electorate
  4. Polyarchy: high on both dimensions
Why

The ordering is partly a convenience, since the two middle types are not really ranked against each other, they are open on different dimensions. That ambiguity is the honest result of using two axes rather than one, and it is why Dahl resisted a single democracy score.

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